The present invention generally relates to packetized communications and, more particularly, relates to Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) network telephony and security intelligence systems and methods therefor.
In Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephony systems, analog voice signals are digitized and transmitted as a stream of packets over a digital data network. These systems enable real-time transmission of the voice signals as packetized data over networks that employ digital network communications protocols, including Transport Control Protocol (TCP), Real-Time Transport Protocol (RTP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and other Internet Protocol (IP) and network protocol suites. The digital networks that carry VoIP include the Internet and other digital data communications channels, such as public and private wired or wireless networks, WAN, LAN, WLAN, Wi-Fi, intranets/extranets, enterprise networks, and other conventional communications connectors and implementations and combinations thereof.
In the IP networks for voice communications, individual digital data packets are constructed corresponding to analog voice signals. The packets follow efficient and independent paths over the networks to the intended destination. Packets associated with a particular source in such networks can, thus, take many different paths to the destination for the packets. The packets can arrive at the destination with different delays, arrive out of sequence, or not arrive at all. The destination for the packets must re-assemble and convert the packets back to original analog voice signals.
The current VoIP communications can comply with several possible standards, and it is expected that varied and additional standards will arise. The most commonly followed standard at present appears to be the ITU-T H.323 standard, although other standards employed include H.248, H.323, IETF, ITU, IETF TFC 2885, Media Gateway Control Protocol (MGCP), and Session Initiation Protocol or IETF RFC 2543 (SIP), among others. Generally, each of the various standards in VoIP implementations do not encompass all aspects of VoIP communications. The variations among the various standards, and also the networks and equipment therewith employed, include algorithms, bandwidth allocations, packet loss recovery, compression, speech processing, and other concepts for improved communications, efficiencies, and speed.
In general, the VoIP technology (whatever it may be, in the particular circumstance) allows voice calls originated and terminated at standard telephones supported by the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to be conveyed over IP networks. Gateways for the VoIP digital data packets provide the bridge between the local PSTN and the IP network, at both the originating and terminating sides of a VoIP call. To originate a call, the calling party accesses a nearby gateway, either by a direct connection or by placing a common analog call over the local PSTN and entering the desired destination phone number. The VoIP technology translates the destination telephone number into a network address, i.e., an IP address, associated with a specific terminating gateway at the destination of the call. At the terminating gateway, a call is initiated to the destination phone number over the local PSTN to establish end-to-end two-way communications. Thereafter, the analog voice signals entered on each end are digitized into packets and communicated over the packet network at each respective transmitting gateway, and the digitized packets so communicated are reassembled and translated back into the analog voice signals corresponding to the received packets from the network at each respective terminating gateway.
Security intelligence and prevention of terrorism and similar threats continue to become increasingly important measures in today's society. Digital communications, including, for example, VoIP communications, as with any other types of communication, can be employed in ways that further the threats. Moreover, the current trends towards handling voice communications on VoIP networks—because of the efficiency, cost, and other benefits of digital networks—indicate that VoIP communications will continue and become more pervasive means for communications as time passes. Thus, it is likely that such VoIP communications (as with all types of communications) can and will used by terrorists, criminals and other subversives in furthering illicit schemes of societal threats and concerns.
It would be advantageous in the art and technology to provide new security measures for application to communications in network environments, particularly for VoIP and other digital communications in those environments. The present invention provides security intelligence solutions for VoIP and other types of communications. Furthermore, the present invention provides numerous advantages and improvements in the art and technology.